•AN6S€  FtORBLCflLENDAP. 


BY  ERNEST .  V.  CLEMENT 


LIBRARY 

WVERSITY  OP 
CALIFORNIA 
SAN  OIEGO 


presented  to  the 

UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 

by 

MRS. .  R.  H.    BAKER 


HAGI-BUSHES   (LESPEDEZA)   AT  HAGIDERA,  TOKYO.* 


The 


Japanese  Floral  Calendar 


By 

Ernest  W .  Clement,  M.  A . 


Profusely  Illustrated 
Second  and  Revised  Edition. 


Chicago    . 

The  Open  Court  Publishing  Company 

London  Agents 

Kegan  Paul,  Trench,  Trubner  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
1911 


COPYRIGHT  BY 

THE  Oi'Kx  COURT  PUBLISHING  Co. 
1904,   1911. 


CONTENTS. 

PAGl 

Introduction I 

The  Pine 3 

The  Plum  10 

The  Peach.    The  Dolls'  Festival 17 

The  Cherry 20 

The  Wistaria   27 

The  Iris 31 

The  Morning-Glory    35 

The  Lotus 40 

The  Nanakusa  43 

The  Maple   47 

The  Chrysanthemum 51 

The  Camellia   56 

Conclusion 59 


INTRODUCTION. 

THE  JAPANESE  are  a  nature-loving  people  and  frequently 
give  practical  expression  to  their  feelings  by  taking  a  holiday 
siniplv  for  "flower-viewing."  At  the  proper  season,  the  entire 
nation,  so  to  speak,  takes  a  day  off  and  turns  out  on  a  big  picnic, 
to  see  the  plum  blossoms,  or  the  cherry  blossoms,  or  the  maples, 
or  the  chrysanthemums.  No  utilitarian  views  of  the  value  of  time 
or  miserly  conceptions  of  the  expense  of  such  outings  prevail  for  a 
moment;  for  the  Japanese  are  worshipers  of  beauty  rather  than 
of  the  "almighty  dollar."  A  few  pennies  on  such  occasions  bring 
many  pleasures,  and  business  interests  are  sacrificed  at  the  shrine 
of  beauty.  And,  as  one  or  more  flowers  are  blooming  every  month, 
there  is  almost  a  continuous  round  of  such  picnics  during  the  year. 
It  is  our  purpose,  therefore,  to  tell  something  of  the  flower  or  flowers 
popular  each  month,  with  some  folk-lore,  poems,  or  other  description 
thereof  and  have  it  illustrated  by  pictures.  But  first  we  must  call 
attention  to  the  fact,  that  the  Japanese  word  hana  includes,  not  only 
a  "flower"  or  "blossom"  according  to  our  conceptions,  but  also  twigs, 
leaves,  grasses,  etc..  so  that  the  pine,  the  maple,  and  even  the  snow 
may  come  into  this  category. 

We  are  confronted  at  the  very  outset  with  a  chronological  diffi- 
culty in  presenting  this  subject  to  Western  readers.  For  the  pro- 
gramme of  Japanese  floral  festivals  was  originally  arranged  on  the 
basis  of  the  old  lunar  calendar,  so  long  in  vogue  in  Japan.  By  that 
calendar  the  New  Year  came  in  about  the  2ist  of  January  to  the 
1 8th  of  February;  so  that  it  was  from  three  to  seven  weeks  behind 
the  Occidental  solar  calendar.  For  instance,  the  following  is  a  floral 
programme  according  to  the  "old  style": 

First  month  (about  February)         Pine. 

Second  month          (     "      March)  Plum. 

Third  month  (     "      April)  Cherry. 


2  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

Fourth  month  (about  May)  Wistaria. 

Fifth  month  (  "  June)  Iris. 

Sixth  month  (  July)  Tree  peony. 

Seventh  month  (  "  August)  Lespedeza. 

Eighth  month  (  "  September)  Eularia. 

Ninth  month  (  October)  Chrysanthemum. 

Tenth  month  (  "  November)  Maple. 

Eleventh  month  (  "  December)  Willow. 

Twelfth  month  (  January)  Paullownia. 

But  when  Japan  adopted  the  Gregorian  calendar,  many  of  the 
floral  festivals  were  transferred  to  the  new  style  without  regard  to 
the  awful  anachronism  that  followed.  In  the  case  of  the  pine, 
which  is  chosen  for  the  first  month  on  account  of  the  prominent 
part  that  it  plays  in  the  New  Year's  decorations,  it  makes  no  special 
difference  whether  the  New  Year  begins  January  I  or  February  18. 
But  in  many  other  cases  the  calendar  suffers  serious  dislocation, 
because  some  of  the  "flowers"  cannot  conveniently  be  moved  back 
a  month  or  more.  The  autumn  full  moon,  too,  in  whose  festival 
certain  blossoms  figured,  cannot  be  arbitrarily  hurried  up.  Hence, 
it  is  rather  difficult  for  the  flowers  of  Old  Japan  to  run  on  the  new 
Occidental  schedule. 

But  taking  all  these  difficulties  into  consideration,  and  harmo- 
nizing them  so  far  as  possible,  we  have  been  able  to  construct  the 
following  modern  Japanese  floral  calendar: 


January 

Pine. 

July 

Morning-glory. 

February 

Plum. 

August 

Lotus. 

March 

Peach. 

September 

"Seven  Grasses." 

April 

Cherry. 

October 

Maple. 

May 

Wistaria. 

November 

Chrysanthemum. 

June 

Iris. 

December 

Camellia. 

This  calendar  we  shall  follow  in  this  book.1 

1  The  following  is  an  alternative : 

January     }   (  Pine  and  July  Morning-glory. 

February  j  \  Bamboo.  August  Lotus. 

March  Plum.  September         "Seven  Grasses.'^ 

April  Cherry.  October  )    ( Chrysanthemum. 

May  Wistaria.  November  j  }  Maple. 

June  Iris.  December  Camellia. 


I.  THE  PINE. 

FOR  the  first  month  of  the  year,  the  pine  is  the  only 
choice,  whether  taken  separately  or  in  connection  with 
the  bamboo  and  the  plum.  The  decorations  in  front  of 
every  house  at  the  New  Year's  season  are  known  as  Kado- 
matsu  (gate  pines),  or  Matsu-kazari  (pine  decorations); 
and  the  first  seven  days  of  the  year  are  collectively  called 
Matm-no-uchi,  which  may  be  freely  translated  "pine 
week."  The  pine,  like  the  bamboo,  has  no  "blossom"  in 
the  Occidental  meaning  of  that  word,  but  is  regarded  as  a 
"flower"  by  the  Japanese ;  and  these  two  are  venerated  be- 
cause they  keep  green  in  winter  and  their  color  never  fades. 
Therefore,  they  are  emblems  of  constancy,  endurance, 
health,  and  longevity.  And,  as  one  writer  has  informed 
me,  the  pine,  the  bamboo,  and  the  plum  are  the  "three 
friends  in  winter";  and  "they  are  used  as  the  bearers  of 
good  wishes  for  the  New  Year :  the  pine  for  longevity,  the 
bamboo  for  uprightness,  the  plum  for  sweetness." 

The  origin  of  Kado-matsu  is  very  ancient,  perhaps  so 
far  back  as  eight  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  The  two 
following  poems  are  said  to  be  about  eight  hundred  years 
old: 

"Kadomatsu  wo 
Itonami  tatsuru 
Sono  hodo  ni 
Haru  akegata  no 
Yoyo  narinuran." 


4  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

("While  busy  decorating  the  pines  at  the  gate,  the  dawn  of  the 
New  Year  speedily  comes.") 

"Haru  ni  aeru 
Kono  kado-matsu  wo 
Wakeki  tsutsu 
Ware  mo  chiyo  hen 
Uchi  ni  iri-nuru." 

("Passing  through  the  pine-gate  that  has  met  the  spring  so  gay, 
I  too  have  entered  into  the  life  of  endless  years.")1 


THE  NEW  YEAR  S  DECORATIONS  WITH  SHIMENAWA,  ETC. 
Two  girls  playing  at  battledore  and  shuttlecock,  and  the  little  one  with  a  ball. 

The  pines  in  front  of  the  gate  are  placed  in  pairs :  the 
rougher  and  more  prickly  one,  called  the  male,  on  the  left, 
which  is  the  side  of  honor  in  Japan;  the  softer  and  more 
graceful  one,  called  the  female,  on  the  right.  The  custom 
of  adding  bamboos  is  of  more  recent  origin.  This  custom 

1  From  The  Far  East. 


The  Pine.  5 

of  gate  decorations  originated,  by  the  way,  with  the  com- 
mon people. 

The  other  decorations  include  a  rope,  specially  named 


shimc-nawa,  with  the  strips  of  white  paper,  a  cray-fish, 
ferns,  a  large  orange,  called  daidai,  a  leaf  or  two  of  an 
evergreen  tree,  dried  persimmons,  dried  chestnuts,  etc. 


6  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

Each  one  of  these  articles  has  its  own  peculiar  significance, 
and  is  symbolical  of  good  fortune  for  the  year. 


A  BAMBOO  GROVE. 


As  the  pine-tree  is  an  evergreen,  it  is  naturally  quite 
popular  in  floral  compositions,  in  which  it  is  considered 
very  felicitous.  One  favorite  combination,  especially  for 


The  Pine.  7 

the  New  Year  and  wedding  ceremonies,  is  that  of  the  pine, 
bamboo,  and  plum  (sho-chiku-bai) .  If  these  are  used  sep- 
arately, "the  pine  is  displayed  on  the  first,  the  bamboo  on 
the  -second,  and  the  plum  on  the  third  day  of  the  year." 
The  pine  is  also  commonly  associated  with  the  crane  and 
the  tortoise,  all  of  which  are  symbols  of  longevity. 

The  never-fading  color  of  the  pine  is  compared  to  the 
chastity  of  woman,  and  O  Matsu  is  a  very  common  name 
for  a  girl.  The  needle-shaped  leaves  of  the  pine  "are  cred- 
ited with  the  power  of  driving  demons  away." 

The  remarkable  dwarf  pines  are  always  a  particular 
feature  of  a  Japanese  garden;  and  at  Karasaki  there  is 
a  famous  giant  pine-tree,  90  feet  high,  with  a  circumference 
of  trunk  over  39  feet,  and  length  of  branches  (in  all  380) 
from  240  to  288  feet. 

Special  mention  should  be  made  of  Matsushima  (Pine 
Islands) ,  near  Sendai.  These  pine-clad  isles  are  considered 
one  of  the  "three  great  views"  of  Japan.  They  are  said 
to  number  896  in  all,  and  are,  therefore,  called  sometimes 
the  "Thousand  Islands"  of  Japan.  But  in  this  calculation 
the  smallest  rocks  are  included,  even  though  they  may  not 
be  visible  above  water.  Many  of  them  have  fantastic  names 
to  correspond  to  their  fantastic  shapes. 

Other  places  famous  for  pine-trees  are  Sumiyoshi,  near 
Sakai,  and  Takasago,  near  Kobe.  Indeed,  the  shore  from 
Kobe  westward  for  some  distance  is  a  rare  pine-clad  coast. 
"The  spirits  of  two  ancient  pine-trees  at  Takasago,  per- 
sonified as  man  and  woman  of  venerable  age  who  are 
occupied  in  raking  up  pine-needles,  form  a  favorite  subject 
of  Japanese  art."  These  figures  are  always  prominent  in 
the  decorations  of  a  wedding  ceremony. 

As  the  word  matsu  may  mean  either  "a  pine"  or  "to 
wait  (pine),"  there  is  an  excellent  opportunity  for  a  pun 
in  both  Japanese  and  English,  as  in  the  following  lines 
translated  bv  Prof.  B.  H.  Chamberlain : 


8  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

"Matsu  ga  ne  no 
Matsu  koto  tohomi,  etc." 

"Like  the  pine-trees,  I  must  stand  and  pine." 

The  following  poem  is  from  the  translation  of  Tosa 
Nikki  by  the  late  Mrs.  M.  C.  Harris: 

"Since  I  have  viewed  the  pines  that  grow 

On  Suminoye's  shore, 
I've  come  my  own  estate  to  know, 
How  I  have  e'en  surpassed  in  years 

These  pine-trees  old  and  hoar." 

In  the  "Hundred  Poems,"  which  furnish  the  chief 
amusement  for  the  New  Year  season,  we  find  the  following, 
translated  by  Professor  MacCauley : 

"SOLITUDE  IN  OLD  AGE. 

"Whom  then  are  there  now, 

In  my  age  so  far  advanced, 
I  can  hold  as  friends? 

Even  Takasago's  pines 
Are  no  friends  of  former  days." 

All  Japanese  boys  and  girls,  early  in  life,  memorize  the 
Hundred  Poems  by  a  Hundred  Writers,  and  can  glibly 
repeat  them. 

Here  is  a  song  generally  used  on  the  occasion  of  a 
wedding,  in  the  decorations  of  which  the  pine  plays  an 
important  part: 

"The  oceans  four  that  gird  our  strand 
Are  calm,  and  quiet  is  our  land ; 
No  branches  bend,  no  breezes  blow. 
These  new-set  pines  in  bliss  will  grow." 

We  close  with  a  very  famous  poem,  which  we  give  in 
both  Japanese  and  English,  as  follows: 

"Kado-matsu  zva 
Mcido  no  tabi  no 


The  Pine. 

Ichi  ri  dsuka : 
Medetaku  mo  ari 
Medetaku  mo  nashi." 

'At  every  door 
The  pine-trees  stand ; 
One  mile-post  more 
To  the  spirit-land ; 
And  as  there's  gladness, 
So  there's  sadness." 


II.  THE  PLUM. 

THE  plum-blossom  has  already  been  mentioned  in  con- 
nection with  the  pine  and  the  bamboo  for  New  Year's 
decorations,  but  it  deserves  a  month  by  itself.  As  it  begins 
to  blossom,  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  in  January,  and 
often  continues  in  bloom  till  March,  it  might  represent  any 
one  of  the  first  three  months.  But,  as  most  of  February 
generally  comes  in  the  first  month  of  the  old  calendar,  it  is 
doubly  appropriate  for  the  plum.  This  blossom  is  em- 
blematic of  perseverance,  because  it  sometimes  forces  its 
way  out  through  the  snow  with  which  its  branches  are 
laden.  This  is  illustrated  in  the  following  poems,  the  first 
from  Huish's  Japan  and  Its  Art,  and  the  third  from  Pig- 
gott's  Garden  of  Japan : 

"Ice-flakes  are  falling  fast 
Through  the  chilly  air,  and  now 
Yonder  trees  with  snow  bloom  laden 
Do  assume  the  wild  plum's  guise, 
With  their  mass  of  snowy  flowers 
Gladdening  winter's  dreary  time." 

"Amid  the  branches  of  silv'ry  bowers 
The  nightingale  doth  sing ;  perchance  he  knows 
That  spring  has  come,  and  takes  the  later  snows 
For  the  white  petals  of  the  plum's  sweet  flowers." 

(Form  Chamberlain's  Classical  Poetry  of  the  Japanese.} 

"The  flowers  of  the  plum-trees 
All  through  the  day  make  snow-light, 
Moonlight  through  the  night. 


The  Plum. 


ii 


x 


12  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

Like  the  icy  spray  which  the  breeze 
Scatters  from  the  stream, 
Like  the  snow-flake's  flight, 
Falling  petals  seem." 

Probably  one  element  of  the  popularity  of  the  plum  is 
to  be  found  in  the  fact  that  it  is  the  first  blossom  to  appear 
after  kan,  the  period  of  severest  cold,  and  is,  therefore,  a 
harbinger  of  spring-.  And,  as  the  plum  is  the  earliest  of 
blossoms,  it  is  called  "the  eldest  brother  of  the  hundred 
flowers,"  "the  eldest  flower  of  mother  earth,"  and  "the 
first  of  flowers." 

The  plum  is  symbolic  of  womanly  virtue  and  sweetness ; 
and  "O  Ume  San"  is  a  favorite  name  for  girls.  This  blos- 
som is  "often  drawn  athwart  the  moon";  and  it  is  com- 
monly associated  with  the  nightingale  (uguisu),  which 
"hides  and  sings  among  the  flowers."  This  association, 
not  merely  in  art  but  also  in  literature,  is  illustrated  both 
in  the  second  poem  quoted  above  and  in  the  following  ( Pig- 
gott's)  : 

"Home  friends  change  and  change, 

Years  pass  quickly  by ; 
Scent  of  our  ancient  plum-tree, 
Thou  dost  never  die. 

"Home  friends  are  forgotten  ; 

Plum-tree  blossoms  fair, 
Petals  falling  to  the  breeze, 
Leave  their  fragrance  there. 

"CettriaV  fancy  too 

Finds  his  cap  of  flowers, 
Seeks  his  peaceful  hiding-place 
In  the  plum's  sweet  bowers. 

"Though  the  snow-flakes  hide 

And  thy  blossom  kill, 
He  will  sing,  and  I  shall  find 

Fragrant  incense  still." 
1  The  uguisu  is  known  in  science  as  cettria  cantons. 


The  Plum.  13 

The  most  famous  places  for  plum-trees  are  Kameido, 
near  Tokyo ;  Sugita,  near  Yokohama ;  and  Tsukigase,  about 
twenty-five  miles  from  Nara.  The  Ume-Yashiki,  or  Plum 
Mansion,  at  Kameido,  is  famous  for  its  Gwaryobai,  literally 
"Recumbent  Dragon  Plums,"  over  five  hundred  in  all  and 
very  old;  the  large  original  tree  is  said  to  have  resembled 
a  dragon  lying  upon  the  ground.  Tsukigase  is  renowned 
for  the  plum-trees  which  line  the  bank  of  the  Kidzu  River 
for  more  than  two  miles.  It  is  said  that  "no  other  place  in 
Japan  can  boast  of  such  a  show  of  the  pink  and  white  flow- 
ers of  this  fragrant  tree."  The  Tokiwa  Park  of  Mito  is  fa- 
mous for  its  large  grove  of  plum-trees,  originally  one  thou- 
sand in  number,  planted  in  1837  by  the  old  Prince  Rekko. 

There  are  said  to  be  sixty  different  species  of  plum-trees 
in  Japan.  To  go  and  see  that  blossom  is  a  most  delightful 
pastime  and  holiday.  "Often  one  sees  visionary  old  men 
sitting  lost  in  reverie,  and  murmuring  to  themselves  of 
ume-no-hana,  the  plum-blossom.  They  sip  tea,  they  rap 
out  the  ashes  from  tiny  pipes,  and  slipping  a  writing-case 
from  the  girdle,  unroll  a  scroll  of  paper,  and  indite  an  ode 
or  sonnet.  Then  with  radiant  face  and  cheerful  muttering, 
the  ancient  poet  will  slip  his  toes  into  his  clogs,  and  tie  the 
little  slip  to  the  branches  of  the  most  charming  tree."2  Ac- 
cording to  a  Japanese  poem,  "the  sight  of  the  plum-blossom 
causes  the  ink  to  flow  in  the  writing-room." 

So  prevalent  is  flower-viewing  in  Japan,  that  Professor 
Chamberlain  tells  of  a  party  of  "380  blind  shampooers  who 
went  out  to  see  the  plum-blossoms  at  Sugita,"  and  were 
made  safe  by  a  long  rope  which  held  them  together ! 

The  following  is  a  free  translation3  of  another  plum- 
poem  : 

"In  spring-time,  on  a  cloudless  night, 
When  moonbeams  throw  their  silver  pall 

*  Miss  Scidmore's  Jinrikisha  Days  in  Japan. 

*  Conder's  Flowers  of  Japan. 


14  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

O'er  wooded  landscape,  veiling  all 
In  one  soft  cloud  of  misty  white, 
'Twere  in  vain,  almost,  to  hope  to  trace 
The  plum-trees  in  their  lovely  bloom 
Of  argent,  'tis  their  sweet  perfume 
Alone  which  leads  me  to  their  place." 

There  is  also  an  interesting  story4  related  by  Mr.  Con- 
der  in  explanation  of  the  name  "Nightingale-dwelling- 
plum-tree,"  applied  even  till  the  present  day  to  a  favorite 


A   VIEW   IN   THE   RECUMBENT   DRAGON    PLUM    GARDEN. 

species  of  delicious  odor,  having  pink  double  blossoms. 
Sometime  in  the  tenth  century,  the  imperial  plum-tree 
withered,  and,  as  it  was  necessary  to  replace  it,  search  was 
made  for  a  specimen  worthy  of  so  high  an  honor.  Such 
a  tree  was  found  in  the  garden  of  the  daughter  of  a  talented 
poet,  named  Kino  Tsurayuki,  and  was  demanded  by  the 
officials  of  the  Court.  Not  daring  to  resist  the  imperial 
command,  but  full  of  grief  at  parting  with  her  favorite 

4  Conder's  Flowers  of  Japan. 


The  Plum.  15 

plum-tree,  the  young  poetess  attached  to  its  trunk  a  strip 
of  paper,  upon  which  she  wrote  the  following  verse3 : 


PLUM-TREE. 


8  Brinkley's  translation. 


1 6  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

"Claimed  for  our  Sovereign's  use, 

Blossoms  I've  loved  so  long, 
Can  I  in  duty  fail? 
But  for  the  nightingale 

Seeking  her  home  of  song, 
How  shall  I  find  excuse?" 

This  caught  the  eye  of  the  Emperor,  who,  touched  by 
the  plaintive  sentiment  expressed,  inquired  from  whose 
garden  the  tree  was  taken,  and  ordered  it  to  be  returned. 

Here  are  still  other  plum-poems: 

"How  shall  I  find  my  ume  tree? 
The  moon  and  the  snow  are  white  as  she, 
By  the  fragrance  blown  on  the  evening  air, 
Shalt  thou  find  her  there." 

"Gone  the  old  year 
Gone  to  his  death ; 
Tears  for  his  tomb. 
Yet  from  his  bier 
Stealeth  spring's  breath 
Of  wafted  plum."6 
(From  Brinkley's  Japan,  Vol.  VI,  p.  307.) 

"When  the  east  wind7  blows, 
Emit  thy  perfume, 
Oh  thou  plum-blossom ; 
Forget  not  the  spring, 
Because  thy  master  is  away." 
(From  Aston's  Shinto:  the  Way  of  the  Gods,  p.  180). 

'The  plum-blossom  is  the  emblem  of  spring. 

7  The  east  is  in  Japan  the  soft  wind — our  zephyr. 


III.  THE  PEACH.    THE  DOLLS'  FESTIVAL. 

THIS  blossom,  coming  between  the  plum,  "of  classical 
fame  and  predilection,"  and  the  cherry,  "of  patriotic 
boast,"  is  rather  overshadowed  by  those  popular  favorites. 


DOLLS    FESTIVAL. 


And  yet,  as  Mr.  Conder  adds,1  the  peach  "excels  in  size, 
richness,  and  coloring.  These  blossoms  are  of  numerous 
tints, — white,  different  shades  of  pink,  and  a  deep  crimson 

1  The  Floral  Art  of  Jap.an. 


i8 


The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 


remarkably  rich  in  tone.  The  peach-blossom  in  mass,  as 
it  appears  in  groves  and  orchards,  contributes  far  more 
to  the  beauty  of  the  spring  landscape  than  its  more  hon- 
ored but  severer  brother,  the  plum-blossom."  "The 


or- 


DOLLS    FESTIVAL. 

chards  of  peach-trees  in  blossom  are  much  frequented  by 
the  common  people." 

Of  the  different  colors,  the  pale  pink  is  said  to  rank 
first.  The  peach-blossom,  the  Japanese  name  of  which  is 
memo,  meaning  also  "hundred,"  is  considered  "emblematic 


The  Peach.    The  Dolls'  Festival  19 

of  longevity,"  and  is  a  greater  favorite  in  China  than  in 
Japan.  It  is  generally  associated  with  oxen,  as  in  the  fol- 
lowing Chinese  saying,  depicting  a  peaceful  scene  of  pros- 
perous country  life :  "Turn  the  horse  on  the  flower-covered 
mountain  and  the  ox  into  the  peach-orchard." 

In  the  art  of  Japanese  floral  arrangement  the  peach  and 
the  cherry-blossom  make  an  "objectionable  combination." 
The  peach-blossom  is,  however,  most  felicitous  by  itself, 
or  with  other  blossoms,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Dolls'  Festi- 
val, often  called  the  "Peach  Festival,"  on  the  third  day  of 
the  third  month.  Indeed,  the  peach  is  especially  connected 
with  girls. 

The  peach  is  commonly  supposed  to  have  the  mysterious 
power  of  driving  away  evil  spirits,  or  keeping  them  at  a 
distance.  In  Chinese  as  well  as  in  Japanese  folklore,  ar- 
rows made  of  peach-tree  wood  are  frequently  used  for  the 
purpose  of  piercing  the  otherwise  invulnerable  hearts  of 
devils. 

Chinese  doctors  sometimes  use  the  extract  of  the  peach 
leaves  or  kernels  for  medicinal  purposes. 

A  little  Japanese  poem  on  the  Dolls'  Festival  reads  in 
an  English  translation  thus: 

"Once  a  year  to  low  and  high, 

Rich  and  poor,  by  all  held  dear, 
Come  the  dolls  that  never  die, 
Once  a  year. 

"Minstrel,  warrior,  peasant,  peer, 
Humbly  hail  his  Majesty, 
Regnant  on  the  topmost  tier. 

"Children's  hands  that  nursed  them,  lie 

Out  of  reach  of  hope  and  fear ; 
Only  dolls  may  Death  defy — 
Once  a  year." 


T 


IV.  THE  CHERRY. 
HIS  is  the  prince  of  flowers  in  Japan. 

"Hana  wa  sakura; 
Hito  wa  bushi." 

"The  flower  [is]  the  cherry ; 
The  man  [is]  the  knight." 

Just  as  the  bushi,  or  samurai  (knight),  was  the  beau 
ideal  among  Japanese  men,  i.  e.,  the  "gentleman"  of  the 
nation ;  so  the  cherry,  with  its  spotless  blossoms,  "symbol- 
izing that  delicacy  of  sentiment  and  blamelessness  of  life 
belonging  to  high  courtesy  and  true  knightliness,"  is  the 
Chevalier  Bayard  of  Japanese  flowers. 

The  wild  cherry  is  said  to  have  existed  in  Japan  from 
time  immemorial;  and  from  this  "have  been  developed 
countless  varieties,  culminating  in  that  which  bears  the 
pink-tinged  double  [yaesakura]  blossoms  as  large  as  a 
hundred-leaved  rose,  covering  every  branch  and  twig  with 
thick  rosettes.  A  faint  fragrance  arises  from  these  sheets 
of  bloom."  (Scidmore's  Jinrikisha  Days  in  Japan.} 

The  pale  pink  is  the  only  one  that  takes  first  rank  among 
cherry  blossoms.  "When,  in  spring,  the  trees  flower,  it  is 
as  though  fleeciest  masses  of  clouds  faintly  tinged  by  sun- 
set had  floated  down  from  the  highest  sky  to  fold  them- 
selves about  the  branches ....  The  reader  who  has  never 
seen  a  cherry-tree  blossoming  in  Japan  cannot  possibly 
imagine  the  delight  of  the  spectacle.  There  are  no  green 


The  Cherry. 


21 


leaves;  these  come  later;  there  is  only  one  glorious  burst 
of  blossoms,  veiling  every  bough  and  twig  in  their  delicate 
mist ;  and  the  soil  beneath  each  tree  is  covered  deep  out  of 
sight  by  fallen  petals  as  by  a  drift  of  pink  snow."  (Hearn's 
Glimpses  of  Unfamiliar  Japan.) 

It  is  also  to  Professor  Hearn  that  we  are  indebted  for 
the  following:  "About  this  mountain  cherry  (yamasakura) 
there  is  a  humorous  saying  that  illustrates  the  Japanese 


JSLOOMING  CHERRY-TREES  AT  ASUKAYAMA,  TOKYO. 


love  of  puns.  In  order  fully  to  appreciate  it,  the  reader 
should  know  that  Japanese  nouns  have  no  distinction  of 
singular  or  plural.  The  word  ha,  as  pronounced,  may 
signify  either  'leaves'  or  'teeth';  and  the  word  liana,  either 
'flowers'  or  'nose.'  The  yamazakura  puts  forth  its  ha 
(leaves)  before  its  liana  (flowers).  Wherefore,  a  man 
whose  ha  (teeth)  project  in  advance  of  his  liana  (nose)  is 


22 


The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 


called  a  yamasakura.     Prognathism  is  not  uncommon  in 
Japan,  especially  among  the  lower  classes." 

The  cherry  blossom  is  symbolic  of  loyalty  and  patriot- 
ism, and  is  generally  associated  with  the  pheasant. 


No  important  locality  in  Japan  is  without  its  special 
park  or  grove  with  cherry-trees,  to  which  the  people  resort 
in  immense  crowds  at  the  proper  season.  The  inhabitants 
of  Tokyo,  for  instance,  flock  to  Uyeno  Park,  or  Mukojima, 


The  Cherry.  23 

or  Koganei,  or  Asukayama;  while  the  Kyoto  people  visit 
Arashi-yama.  But  a  more  than  local  reputation  attaches 
to  Yoshino  in  the  Province  of  Yamato :  there  "a  thousand 
trees  line  the  path  and  cover  the  hillside."  And  some  poet 


CHERRY  BLOSSOMS  AT  MUKOJIMA,  TOKYO. 

has  said:  "The  cherry  blossoms  on  Mount  Yoshino  de- 
ceive me  into  thinking  they  are  snow."  But  Yoshino's  fame 
is  disputed  by  other  places:  Asukayama,  near  Tokyo,  is 
called  the  "new  Yoshino";  and  an  imperial  poet  has  said 


24  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

that  "not  second  to  Yoshino  is  Arashiyama,   where  the 

white  spray  of  the  torrent  sprinkles  the  cherry  blossoms." 

It  is  unfortunate  that   cherry-viewing   is   marred  by 


dissipation,  and  that  its  "carnival  rivals  the  Saturnalia  of 
the  ancients."  It  is  almost  dangerous,  for  instance,  to  visit 
Mukojima  on  account  of  the  rude  and  boisterous  conduct 


The  Cherry.  25 

of  those  who  have  been  freely  imbibing  sake,  beer  or  whis- 
key. The  following  story  (Conder's  Floral  Art  of  Japan) 
tells  the  origin  of  the  connection  between  sake  and  sa- 
kura.  The  Emperor  Richiu  was  disporting  himself  with  his 
courtiers  in  a  pleasure  boat,  on  a  lake  of  the  Royal  Park, 
when  some  petals  from  the  wild  cherry-trees  of  the  ad- 
joining hills  fluttered  into  the  wine-cup  from  which  he  was 
drinking.  This  circumstance  is  said  to  have  drawn  His 
Majesty's  notice  to  the  beauty  of  this  neglected  blossom, 
and  from  this  time  arose  the  custom  of  wine-drinking  at 
the  time  of  cherry-viewing.  To  the  present  day  there  is  a 
popular  saying:  "Without  wine,  who  can  properly  enjoy 
the  sight  of  the  cherry  blossom?" 

"No  man  so  callous  but  he  heaves  a  sigh 
When  o'er  his  head  the  withered  cherry-flowers 
Come  fluttering  down.   Who  knows?  The  spring's  soft  showers 
May  be  but  tears  shed  by  the  sorrowing  sky." — Chamberlain. 

The  Koganei  cherry-trees,  which,  for  two  miles  and  a 
half,  line  both  sides  of  the  aqueduct  conveying  water  into 
Tokyo,  are  said  to  have  numbered  originally  ten  thousand, 
but  there  are  now  only  a  few  hundred.  They  were  planted 
there  with  the  idea  that  they  had  "the  virtue  of  keeping 
off  impurities  from  the  water." 

Night  cherry  flowers  (yozakura),  "seen  by  the  pale 
light  of  the  moon,"  are  a  great  attraction,  one  of  the  special 
sights  of  the  year. 

It  may  readily  be  understood  that  so  popular  a  blossom 
as  this  would  figure  largely  in  Japanese  literature.  The 
famous  "Hundred  Poems"  contain  five  on  that  subject; 
and  several  are  included  in  the  Manyoshiu.  But  we  have 
room  for  only  two,  of  which  the  first  is  remarkable  for  its 
brevity,  and  the  second  is  Motoori's  famous  one,  dear  to 
all  Japanese: 


26  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

1.  "A  cloud  of  flowers! 

Is  the  bell  Uyeno 
Or  Asakusa?" 

Or  expanded: 

"The  cherry  flowers  in  Mukojima  are  blossoming  in  such  profu- 
sion as  to  form  a  cloud  which  shuts  out  the  prospect.  Whether  the 
bell  which  is  sounding  from  a  distance  is  that  of  the  temple  of  Uyeno 
or  of  Asakusa,  I  am  unable  to  determine."  (Aston's  History  of 
Japanese  Literature.) 

2.  "Shikishima  no 

Yamato-gokoro  wo 
Uito  towaba 

Asahi  ni  niho 
Yamazakura  kana." 

"Isles  of  blest  Japan ! 

Should  your  Yamato  spirit 
Strangers  seek  to  scan, 

Say — scenting  morn's  sunlit  air 
Blows  the  cherry  wild  and  fair!" 

— Nitobe's  Soul  of  Japan. 

(Or)  "If  one  should  ask  you  concerning  the  heart  of  a  true 
Japanese,  point  to  the  wild  cherry  flower  glowing  in  the  sun." 


V.  THE  WISTARIA. 

FOR  this  month  we  had  a  choice  between  the  peony, 
the  azalea  and  the  wistaria,  and  selected  the  last  on 
account  of  its  uniqueness.     It  is  generally  "reared  upon 
large  trellises,  arranged  to  cover  long  walks,  bridges  or 


AZALEA  BLOSSOMS. 


arbors,  in  pleasure  grounds  and  gardens."  "The  sprays  of 
its  flowers  often  exceed  three  feet  in  length,  whilst  a  hun- 
dred persons  may  rest  under  its  shadow,  and  its  stem  grows 


28 


The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 


to  the  thickness  of  man's  body;  its  branches  are  used  as 
cables."  The  purple  blossom  is  the  commonest  and  also  the 


most  highly  esteemed.    This  flower,  like  the  cherry,  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  pheasant.     It  typifies  youth. 

"A  belief  exists  that  this  flower  attains  great  size  and 
beautv  if  its  roots  are  nourished  with  sake;  and  there  is, 


The  Wistaria.  29 

at  Kameido,  a  tree  producing  specially  fine  blossoms,  at  the 

base  of  which  visitors  are  accustomed  to  empty  their  cups." 

"At  Kasukabe,  north-east  of  Tokyo,  is  the  most  famous 


PEONY. 


wistaria  in  the  empire.  The  vine  is  500  years  old,  with 
pendent  blossoms  over  50  inches  long,  and  trellises  cover- 
ing a  space  of  4000  feet."  "Though  much  honored  and 


30  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

used  for  felicitous  occasions,  the  fuji  must  not  be  employed 
at  weddings  on  account  of  its  purple  color." 

This  blossom  often  gives  its  name  to  girls;  one  of  the 
heroines  of  the  Genji  Monogatari  is  the  Princess  Wistaria. 
Concerning  another  heroine  of  that  book,  Prince  Genji, 
the  hero,  sang  as  follows : 

"When  will  be  mine  this  lovely  flower 

Of  tender  grace  and  purple  hue  ? 
Like  the  wistaria  of  the  bower, 

Its  charms  are  lovely  to  my  view." 

It  has  become  famous  in  Japanese  history  through  the 
Fuji  war  a  family. 

The  following  are  other  examples  of  wistaria1  poems 
from  Japanese  literature: 

"I  come  weary, 
In  search  of  an  inn — 
Ah!  these  wistaria  flowers." 

"O  lovely  wistaria,  now  in  bloom, 

Twine  thy  twigs,  even  though  broken, 
To  those  people  who  pass  by  thee, 

Without  stopping  to  admire  thy  beauty. 

"Men  dare  not  pass  away  without  looking 

At  the  wistaria,  in  a  wave  of  beauty, 
Though  my  small  garden  be  humble, 
With  nothing  attractive  for  the  eye." 

"In  blossom  the  wistaria-trees  to-day 
Break  forth  that  sweep  the  wavelets  of  my  lake : 
When  will  the  mountain  cuckoo  come  and  make 
The  garden  vocal  with  his  first  sweet  lay?" 

And  Piggott  quotes  a  prose  version  of  another  poem, 
as  follows: 

"What,  though  I  be  outside  the  ring-fence  and  can  not  sit  be- 
neath thy  shade,  thou  sendest,  gentle  Wistaria,  thy  fragrance  across 
it  to  me,  treating  me  like  a  friend." 

1  Often  misspelled  "wisteria" ;  this  is  incorrect,  because  the  flower  was 
named  for  Caspar  Wistar. 


VI.  THE  IRIS. 

OF  the  iris  there  are  several  Japanese  varieties,  known 
as  ayame,  hanashobu,  kakitsubata,  shaga,  etc.     In 
Tokyo  the  most  famous  show  of  this  flower  is  at  Horikiri, 
"where  in  ponds  and  trenches  grow  acres  of  such  fleur- 


THE  IRIS  AT  HORIKIRI,  TOKYO. 


de-lis  as  no  Bourbon  ever  knew."  In  strong  contrast  to 
the  riotous  carnival  of  the  cherry-viewing,  "this  festival  is 
a  quiet  and  decorous  garden  party,  where  summer-houses, 
hills,  lakes,  armies  of  royal  flowers,  and  groups  of  visitors 


32  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

seem  to  be  consciously  arranging  themselves  for  decorative 
effects." 


The  iris  lacvigata,  known    in  Japan    as  kakitsubata, 
ranks  high  among  flowers  used  for  ceremonies  and  con- 


The  Iris.  33 

gratulatory  occasions,  except  that,  on  account  of  its  purple 
color,  it  is  prohibited  from  weddings.  In  arranging-  hana- 
shobu  according  to  the  complex  theory  of  flower  arrange- 
ment explained  by  Mr.  Conder,  "the  three  center-most 
leaves  should  be  long,  and  a  special  leaf,  called  the  Kam- 
inuri-ba  or  "cap-leaf,"  must  be  placed  as  a  background  to 
the  principal  flowers." 

The  iris  is  a  favorite  flower  in  art.  Not  only  do  "we 
find  its  delicate-colored  flowers  on  stuffs,  lacquer,  inlaid 
ivories,  and  in  mother-of-pearl";  but  "the  metal-worker, 
too,  twists  its  graceful  leaves  into  delightful  patterns  for 
his  pierced  sword-guards." 

From  a  pretty  crepe  booklet  on  The  Japanese  Months, 
we  learn  the  following  folk-lore  item: 

"There  used  to  be  a  custom  of  hanging  beneath  the 
eaves,  on  the  5th  day  of  the  5th  month  (o.  s.),  bunches  of 
sweet-flag  (shobit)  and  mugwort,  and  of  putting  the  for- 
mer into  the  hot  water  of  the  public  baths,  so  that  bathers 
carry  away  with  them  its  agreeable  odor.  The  sweet-flag 
is  also  steeped  in  sake,  which,  flavored  in  this  way.  is  drunk 
on  the  5th  day  of  the  5th  month, — the  plant  in  question 
being  commonly  believed  to  be  efficacious  in  the  prevention 
of  disease." 

Piggott  adds  the  following  points :  "Probably  the  same 
superstition  led  to  the  common  custom  of  planting  beds  of 
iris  along  the  ridges  of  the  thatched  cottages  in  the  country. 
In  days  gone  by,  boys  wore  wreaths  of  iris  leaves,  and  made 
ropes  of  them  to  dance  with  and  beat  the  ground  to  frighten 
away  the  demons  from  their  festival." 

A  famous  Japanese  poetess,  by  the  name  of  Kaga  no 
Chiyo,  wrote  the  following  pretty  little  poem: 

"Water  was  the  painter. 
Water  again  was  the  eraser. 
Of  the  beautiful  fleur-de-lis." 


34  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

To  illustrate  the  brevity  of  Japanese  poetry,  the  original 
is  added  here: 

"Midzu  ga  kaki 
Midzu  ga   keshikeri 
Kakitsubata." 

We  append  two  more  poems  concerning  the  iris,  as 
translated  by  a  young  Japanese  teacher  of  English : 

"The  iris,  grown  between  my  house  and  the  neighbor's, 

Is  just  burnishing  in  its  deepest  color  and  glory  ; 
I  wish  that  some  one  would  come  to  see  it, 

Before  it  withers  away  and  returns  to  the  dust." 

"On  my  journey  far  away  from  home 

My  heart  flies  to  the  beloved  left  at  home, 
Who  has  been  as  indispensable  to  me 

As  the  soft  clothes  that  I  put  on  constantly." 

The  last  poem  is,  in  the  original,  an  acrostic  which 
spells  out  kakitsubata.  It  is  for  that  reason  only  that  it 
was  selected.  This  style  of  poem  is  quite  prevalent  in 
Japanese  literature. 

The  iris  is  connected  with  the  rainy  season,  as  is  shown 
by  the  following  poems : 


and 


"What  will  not  change  for  eternity 
Is  the  iris  fragrant  in  the  quiet  rains ;" 


"The  wind  passes  under  the  eaves  with  iris  hung, 
Lo,  the  endless  fall  of  the  shower's  dews." 


VII.  THE  MORNING-GLORY. 

WHAT  is  known  in  the  Occident  as  the  morning- 
glory  goes  in  Japan  by  the  name  of  asagao,  or 
"morning- face."  But  the  Japanese  variety  is  far  beyond 
comparison  with  any  other  variety,  as  we  learned  when 
our  Japanese  vines  were  the  wonder  and  admiration  of 
our  Chicago  neighbors:  And  the  Tokyo  master  of  the 


A   MORNING-GLORY   SELLER. 

asagao,  Suzuki  by  name,  said  to  Miss  Scidmore:  "Yes,  I 
know  the  Korean  and  the  American  asagao  are  little  wild 
things,  like  weeds,  not  beautiful  or  worth  growing."  And 
Miss  Scidmore  herself  testifies  as  follows:  "For  size, 
beauty,  range  of  color,  and  illimitable  variety  there  at- 


36  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

tained,  this  sunrise  flower  precedes  all  others,  until  its 
cultivation  has  become  a  craze  which  is  likely  to  spread 
to  other  countries,  and — who  knows? — perhaps  there  in- 


CON VOLVULUS,  OR  MORNING-GLORY. 

troduce  the  current  Japanese  custom  of  five-o'clock-in-the- 
morning  teas  and  garden  parties." 


The  Morning-Glory.  37 

The  asagao  is  said  to  have  been  brought  from  China 
into  Japan  by  scholars  and  priests  who  went  over  there  to 
study  Buddhism.  And  a  Chinese  priest  who  came  to 
Japan  wrote  a  poem  to  the  following  purport :  "The  asagao 
blooms  and  fades  so  quickly,  only  to  prepare  for  to-mor- 
row's glory."  It  is  quite  likely  this  connection  with  religion 
as  well  as  the  fact  that  it  fades  so  quickly  that  makes  the 
asagao  unsuitable  for  use  on  felicitous  occasions. 

Miss  Scidmore  states  that  "the  late  Empress-Dowager, 
a  conservator  of  many  old  customs  and  aristocratic  tradi- 
tions, and  a  gentle  soul  with  a  deep  love  of  flowers,  poetry, 
and  art,  kept  up  the  culture  of  the  asagao,  and  had  always 
a  fine  display  of  flowers  at  her  city  and  summer  palaces 
during  the  lotus-time  of  the  year."  But  in  Tokyo  the  finest 
morning-glory  gardens  are  at  a  place  called  Iriya,  beyond 
Uyeno  Park;  there  wonderful  varieties,  too  numerous  to 
mention,  are  exhibited.  Of  the  different  colors,  dark  blue 
takes  the  first  rank. 

Two  well-known  poems  about  the  morning-glory  run 
as  follows: 

"Every  morn,  when  the  dawn  brightens  into  joy 
The  morning-glory  renews  its  beautiful  flowers, 
And  continues  blooming  long  in  this  way, 
To  give  us  hope  and  peace  that  wither  not."1 

"Oh,  for  the  heart 
Of  the  morning-glory! 
Which,  though  its  bloom  is  for  a  single  hour, 
Is  the  same  as  that  of  the  fir-tree, 
Which  lives  a  thousand  years."2 
1  See  the  Century  Magazine  for  December,  1897. 

"This  literal  version  has  been  versified  as  follows  by  Dr.  Paul  Carus: 
"Oh  for  the  heart's  deep  story, 
The  heart's  of  the  morning-glory ! 
Whose  dainty  flower 
Blooms  but  an  hour — 
Yet  the  charm  that's  hers 
Is  more  endearing 
Than  the  grandeur  of  firs 
For  a  thousand  years  persevering." 


38  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

The  Japanese  also  have  what  they  call  hirugao,  or 
"noon-face,"  and  yugao,  or  "evening-face."  The  latter, 
which  Occidentals  would  presumably  name  "evening-- 
glory," seems  to  be  especially  famous  for  the  beauty  of 
its  white  blossoms.  In  the  Genji  Mono  gat  ari,  a  lady-love 
of  the  hero  sings  as  follows: 

"The  crystal  dew  at  evening's  hour 
Sleeps  on  the  Yugao's  beautiful  flower; 
Will  this  please  him,  whose  glances  bright. 
Gave  to  the  flower  a  dearer  light?" 

The  most  famous  verse  about  the  morning-glory  is,  of 
course,  that  of  the  maiden  O  Chiyo  San,  who,  having  found 
a  vine  with  its  blossoms  twining  around  her  well-bucket, 
would  not  disturb  it,  but  went  elsewhere  to  beg  some  water. 
The  poem,  which  is  in  the  form  of  the  Jwkkn,  runs  as  fol- 
lows: 

"Asagao  ni 
Tsurubc    torarete 
M  oral-mid  zn. " 

This  means,  literally  translated,  "By  asagao  bucket 
being  taken,  begged-water."  But  Sir  Edwin  Arnold's 
poetical  version  is  also  worth  quoting: 

"The  morning-glory 
Her  leaves  and  bells  has  bound 
My  bucket-handle  round. 
I  could  not  break  the  bands 
Of  those  soft  hands. 
The  bucket  and  the  well  to  her  I  left : 
'Lend  me  some  water,  for  I  come  bereft.'  " 

Here  are  two  more  little  poems3 : 

"By  the  truth  received  from  heaven  and  earth, 
The  morning-glory  blooms  and  fades." 

8  From  Knox's  Japanese  Life  in  Town  and  Country. 


The  Morning-Glory.  39 

"Regret  not  what  you  see ; 
Decay  and  bloom  alike  are  morning-glory's  truth." 

With  the  recommendation  to  read  Miss  Scidmore's  il- 
lustrated article,  quoted  above,  for  an  insight  into  the  occult 
features  of  morning-glory  culture  in  Japan,  we  close  with 
her  final  sentence:  "The  asagao  is  the  flower  of  Japanese 
flowers,  the  miracle  of  their  floriculture,  and  one  may  best 
ascribe  it  to  pure  necromancy,  and  cease  to  question  and 
pursue." 


VIII.  THE  LOTUS. 

THE  lotus  is  pre-eminently  the  flower  of  Buddhism. 
It  is  "said  to  be  the  king  of  flowers  in  India,  and  is 
consequently  entitled  to  precedence  on  the  toko-no-ma.  It 
is  often  called  Hotoke  no  liana,  or  the  'Flower  of  the  Bud- 
dhist Spirits/  and  on  account  of  its  religious  character  is 
disliked  for  occasions  of  rejoicing."  It  is  the  emblem  of 
purity,  because  "it  grows  unsullied  out  of  the  mud" ;  it 
"forms  the  resting-place  of  Buddha";  and  "the  fortunate 
entrance  to  Paradise  is  seated"  upon  it.  When  two  lovers 
used  to  commit  suicide  together  their  motto  was  as  fol- 
lows1 :  "Hasu  no  hana  no  ue  ni  oite  matan."  "On  the 
lotus-blossoms  of  paradise  they  shall  rest  together." 

The  popular  conceptions  of  the  lotus  are  further  illus- 
trated by  the  following  quotations1: 

"Though  growing  in  the  foulest  slime,  the  flower  re- 
mains pure  and  undented.  And  the  soul  of  him  who  re- 
mains ever  pure  in  the  midst  of  temptation  is  likened  unto 
the  lotus.2  Therefore  is  the  lotus  carven  or  painted  upon 
the  furniture  of  temples,  therefore  also  does  it  appear  in  all 
the  representations  of  our  Lord  Buddha.  In  Paradise  the 
Blessed  shall  sit  upon  the  cups  of  golden  lotus-flowers." 

In  Tokyo  the  pond  near  Uyeno  is  famous  for  its  lotus ; 
but  one  of  the  largest  and  loveliest  ponds  in  Japan  is  said 
to  be  at  Hikone  on  Lake  Biwa.  This  was  visited  by  Mr. 

1  Hearn's  Glimpses  of  Unfamiliar  Japan. 

*"Like  a  lotus-flower  growing  in  the  mud"  is  a  common  Japanese  pro- 
verb. Other  sayings  refer  to  "a  pure  and  beautiful  woman  in  a  haunt  of 
vice"  and  "a  man  of  stainless  honor  in  a  wicked  world." 


The  Lotus.  41 

H.  T.  Finck,  author  of  Lotus  Time  in  Japan,  in  which, 
however,  he  attempts  no  description  of  the  lotus.  He  says : 
"But  how  can  any  one  be  expected  to  sketch  this  marvelous 


flower  in  words,  when  even  a  great  painter  can  give  but 
a  vague  idea  of  its  beauty?"  He  then  quotes  Mr.  Alfred 
Parsons  in  the  following  confession :  "The  lotus  is  one  of 


42  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

the  most  difficult  plants  which  it  has  ever  been  my  lot  to 
try  and  paint ;  the  flowers  are  at  their  best  only  in  the  early 
morning,  and  each  blossom,  after  it  has  opened,  closes 
again  before  noon  the  first  day ;  on  the  second  day  its  petals 
drop.  The  leaves  are  so  large  and  so  full  of  modeling  that 
it  is  impossible  to  generalize  them  as  a  mass ;  each  one  has 
to  be  carefully  studied,  and  every  breath  of  wind  disturbs 
their  delicate  balance  and  completely  alters  their  forms. 
Besides  this,  their  glaucous  surface,  like  that  of  a  cabbage 
leaf,  reflects  every  passing  phase  of  the  sky,  and  is  con- 
stantly changing  in  color  as  clouds  pass  over." 

"Children  use  the  big  [lotus]  leaves  for  sunshades,  the 
seeds  for  marbles  or  to  eat" ;  and  the  people  eat  lotus  roots 
without  forgetting  their  native  land!  Mr.  Finck  also 
states  that  the  conundrum,  "When  is  a  pond  not  a  pond?" 
is  answered  by  saying,  "When  it  has  no  lotus  in  it." 

The  lotus  is,  of  course,  a  favorite  subject  of  Japanese 
art:  "its  leaves  are  usually  gemmed  with  dew-drops,  and 
this  effect  the  artist  seizes  upon  at  once."3  In  this  connec- 
tion Mr.  Huish  also  quotes  the  following  poem : 

"Oh !  Lotus  leaf,  I  dreamt  that  the  whole  earth 
Held  nought  more  pure  than  thee  ;  held  nought  more  true : 
Why,  then,  when  on  thee  rolls  a  drop  of  dew, 
Pretend  that  'tis  a  gem  of  priceless  worth?" 

Heuzen  (A.  D.  836-856). 
3  Huish's  Japan  and  Its  Art. 


IX.  THE  NANAKUSA. 

THE  word  nanakusa  is  the  name  of  three  categories  in 
Japan.  It  means  literally  "seven  grasses"  and  is 
sometimes  applied  to  seven  kinds  of  grasses  occasionally 
used  together.  It  is  also  the  name  given  to  the  seven 
vegetables  or  "greens"  eaten  on  the  seventh  day  of  the 
New  Year.  And  the  same  name  is  applied  to  seven  kinds 
of  "flowers"  which  are  used  for  decorative  purposes  on 
the  special  occasion  of  "moon-viewing"  on  the  fifteenth 
day  of  the  eighth  month  (o.  c.)  or  about  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember. It  will  thus  be  seen  that  for  the  present  number 
we  have  been  unable  to  select  any  one  "flower"  as  pre- 
eminently appropriate,  although  there  are  plenty  of  blos- 
soms; and  also  that  this  time  the  "flowers"  (which,  in 
this  case  include  "grasses")  are  a  subordinate  element  in 
the  great  festival  of  viewing  the  harvest  moon. 

The  authorities  differ  as  to  the  flowers  included  among 
the  nanakusa ;  but  we  have  chosen  the  following  list : 

Hagi  (lespedeza  or  bush-clover) ;  Obana  (eulalia) ; 
Kuzu  (pueraria) ;  Nadeshiko  (pink) ;  Ominaeshi  (patri- 
nia)  ;  Fuji-bakama  (eupatorium) ;  Asagao  (wild  morning- 
glory). 

This  list  has  been  put  into  verse1  by  an  ancient  poet, 
as  follows: 

"Hagi  ga  hana 

Obana,  Kuzn-hana, 

1  Chamberlain's  Things  Japanese. 


44 


The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

Nadeshiko  no 
Hana,  ominaeshi. 


AUTUMN  GRASSES. 


Mata  Fuji-bakama, 
Asagao  no  hana." 


The  Nanakusa. 


45 


This  verse  is  meaningless  except  as  a  catalogue  of  the 
nanakusa;  it  contains  merely  their  names,  with  the  repe- 


FLOWER  VENDER. 


tition  of  the  word  hana   (blossom)   and  the  use  of  the 
necessary  connections.2 

"Another   list   substitutes   kikyd    (platycodon)    for   fitji-bakama,  and   re- 
arranges the  order. 


46  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  these  flowers  are  used  at  the 
autumn  moon  festival,  the  hagi  and  the  susuki  (=  obana) 
are,  according  to  Mr.  Conder,  among  "flowers  prohibited 
for  auspicious  occasions." 

Of  the  varieties  of  lespedeza  the  red  ranks  first. 

The  hagi3  (bush-clover)  is  said  to  have  attached  to  it 
several  "fables,  chief  amongst  them  being  that  in  which 
it  is  represented  as  a  maid  beloved  by  a  stag."4  It  also 
figures,  somewhat  more  perhaps  than  the  others  of  this 
category,  in  Japanese  literature.  The  following  poems  are 
examples : 

"The  bush-clover  wavers  tenderly  in  the  morning  breeze, 
But  the  pearls  on  the  leaves  enjoy  safely  their  brief  happiness.'' 

or,  concisely: 

"Ah !  the  waving  lespedeza. 
Which  spills  not  a  drop 
Of  the  clear  dew." 

"The  rotten  bush-clover  is  gathered  together, 
In  order  to  construct  the  fence  of  the  Imperial  palace."5 

"The  deer  lying  on  the  bed  made  of  bush-clover, 

Cries  out  full  of  pathos  and  tenderness. 
We  can  not  see  the  form  of  the  lovely  creature, 
But  the  voice  is  clear  and  fascinating." 

"The  sound  of  the  wind  is  dull  and  drear 

Across  Miyagi's  dewy  lea, 
And  makes  me  mourn  for  the  motherless  deer 
That  sleeps  beneath  the  Hagi  tree." 

3  See  frontispiece. 

4  It  is  "termed  the  stag's  mate,  doubtless  on  account  of  its  blossoming  at 
the  time  of  the  year  when  these  animals  pair  off."     It  is  also  associated  with 
the  sleeping  wild  boar. 

6  A  satire  on  the  men  of  Hagi  in  Choshu,  because  they  took  a  prominent 
part  in  the  Restoration  of  1867-8. 


X.  THE  MAPLE. 

AS  we  have  already  stated,  the  Japanese  word  liana  is 
L\.  much  more  comprehensive  in  meaning  than  the  Eng- 
lish word  "flower,"  and  includes  also  grasses  and  leaves.  It 
is  for  that  reason,  therefore,  that  the  maple,  with  its  beauti- 
ful leaves,  may  be  treated  under  our  general  heading. 

It  is,  however,  an  open  question  whether  the  maple 
should  be  treated  this  month  or  next.  In  Japanese  cal- 
endars generally,  the  chrysanthemum  is  put  down  for  the 
ninth  month  (o.  c.),  or  November.  But,  as  the  Emperor's 
birthday  comes  on  November  3,  and  the  chrysanthemum 
is  an  imperial  badge,  we  have  reserved  that  flower  for 
next  month.  Moreover,  it  is  during  the  month  of  October, 
according  to  the  Hand  Book  of  Japan,  that  the  famous 
maples  of  Nikko  and  Tatta  should  be  visited. 

The  maple  is  also  given  the  name  of  "poison-dispelling 
plant,"  because  "there  is  an  idea  that  the  maple  absorbs 
all  poison  and  infection  from  the  air."  Mr.  Conder  also 
informs  us  that  "this  is  one  of  the  most  important  flower- 
less  trees,  the  branches  of  which  are  used  as  'flowers'  in 
Japanese  compositions."  It  is  appropriate  to  use  it  in 
combination  with  the  chrysanthemum  (white  or  yellow)  ; 
and  a  painting  of  a  stag  requires  maples  in  association 
with  it. 

But  if  we  may  believe  Miss  Scidmore,  the  maple  has 
also  its  more  practical  use;  for  "the  coquette  sends  her 
'lover  a  leaf  or  branch  of  maple  to  signify  that,  like  it,  his 


48  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

love  has  changed."1  And  when  a  blush  of  modesty  spreads 
over  a  maiden's  cheek,  the  Japanese  say  that  "she  is  scatter- 
ing red  leaves  on  her  face."  And  a  small  delicate  hand  is 
called  "a  hand  like  a  maple  leaf." 

Not  only  the  Japanese  landscape,  but  also  Japanese  lit- 
erature, is  resplendent  with  momiji.  The  famous  collec- 
tion of  One  Hundred  Poems  contains  six  which  celebrate 
the  beauties  of  the  autumn  leaves,  especially  the  maples. 
One  of  these,  by  the  well-known  Narihira,  was  as  follows : 

"O  Tatsuta !  when  the  autumnal  flow 

I  watch  of  thy  deep,  ruddy  wave, 
E'en  when  the  stern  gods  long  ago 

Did  rule,  was  ne'er  beheld  so  brave, 
So  fair  a  stream  as  thine,  I  vow."2 

"Beautiful  is  the  Tatsuta 

With  Autumn's  brightest  weaving ; 
If  I  cross  the  stream, 

Alas!  the  brocade  will  be  rudely  rent." 

The  comparison  of  the  leaves  to  brocade  (nishiki)  seems 
to  be  quite  common.  Another  of  the  Hundred  Poems  reads 
as  follows: 

"By  the  wind-storm's  blast 

From  Mimuro's  mountain-slopes, 
Maple  leaves  are  torn, 
And,  as  (rich)  brocades  are  wrought 
On  blue  Tatta's  quiet  stream. 

"My  wandering  feet 

So  rudely  tear 
The  carpet  red 

Of  rich  brocade 
O'er  Mimuro  spread." 

1  Jinrikisha  Days  in  Japan. 

*  Translation  by  Mr.  F.  V.  Dickins. 


The  Maple. 

'In  a  mountain  stream, 

Builded  by  the  busy  wind, 
Is  a  wattled  barrier  drawn, 

Yet  it  is  but  maple  leaves, 
Powerless  to  flow  away." 

'In  the  mountain  depths, 

Treading  through  the  crimson  leaves, 
Cries  the  wandering  stag. 

When  I  hear  the  lonely  cry, 
Sad— how  sad — the  autumn  is!"3 


49 


MAPLE  LEAVES   IN   THE  VILLA   OF   MR.   SHIBUSAWA   AT  OJI. 

From  an  article  by  Yone  Noguchi  in  the  Taiyo,  we  cull 
the  following  interesting  story :  "And  again  my  fancy  goes 
to  the  Emperor  Takakura  no  In,  that  great  lover  of  maple 
leaves,  who  planted  the  maple  trees  at  Kita  no  Jin  and 
called  that  spot  Momiji  no  Yama  or  Maple  Leaf  Hill;  he 
was  mightily  delighted  to  see  the  fallen  leaves  which  carpet 

'Translation  by  Prof.  Clay  MacCauley. 


50  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

the  ground  with  the  autumn  glory.  One  morning  the  un- 
poetical  gardeners  swept  the  fallen  leaves,  and  the  officers 
of  the  imperial  household  were  perfectly  awestruck  as 
they  were  sure  their  master  would  come  to  his  hill  to  see 
the  red  leaves  which  might  have  been  cast  down  by  the 
night  wind.  He  went  to  the  hill  presently;  the  officers 
appealed  to  his  pity  for  the  gardeners'  ignorance.  'It  re- 
minds me/  the  Emperor  said,  'of  the  famous  verse  by  Haku 
Raku  Ten  which  runs  thus: 

"We  will  warm  the  wine  under  the  trees; 
We  will  burn  up  the  maple  leaves." 

'''  'Such  is  the  autumn  song;  how  lovely  the  gardeners' 
heart  in  gathering  the  fallen  leaves  to  warm  their  hearts 
and  wine.'  Not  only  the  gardeners'  stupidity  was  excused, 
but  their  action  was  approved  happily.  Had  the  gardeners 
such  a  poetical  heart?  How  sweet  was  the  emperor's!" 

Here  is  one  more  poem: 

"The  peak  is  already  desolate ; 
The  base  is  a  scarlet  flame ; 
Yet  the  leaves  in  the  garden 
Have  scarcely  turned." 

That  is  to  say,  the  leaves  on  the  top  of  the  mountain 
are  already  scattered,  while  those  at  the  base  are  at  their 
best,  and  those  on  the  plain  are  just  changing  their  color. 


XL  THE  CHRYSANTHEMUM. 

A 5  we  stated  previously,  the  chrysanthemum,  in  Jap- 
anese calendars,  generally  belongs  to  the  ninth  month 
(o.  c.),  or  October.  This  is  probably  due  to  the  fact  that 
the  fifth  great  festival,  the  Kiku  no  Sekku  (Festival  of  the 
Chrysanthemum)  fell  on  the  ninth  day  of  the  ninth  month 
(o.  c.),  or  toward  the  end  of  October.  But  we  took  the 
liberty  to  change  that  order,  simply  because  the  Emperor's 
birthday  comes  on  November  3,  and  the  sixteen-petalled 
chrysanthemum  has  been  for  a  long  time  the  imperial 
emblem.  Moreover,  the  annual  Chrysanthemum  Garden 
Party,  given  at  one  of  the  imperial  palaces,  falls  in  No- 
vember. The  difficulty  in  harmonizing  the  two  calendars 
(old  and  new)  arises  from  the  fact  that  the  ninth  month 
of  the  old  calendar  covers  portions  of  both  October  and 
November. 

The  chrysanthemum  blossoms  are  of  various  shapes, 
sizes,  and  colors ;  but,  according  to  Mr.  Conder,  "the  yellow 
kind  ranks  first."  It  is,  in  fact,  said  that  there  are  almost 
300  different  shades  of  color  in  about  800  varieties  of  chry- 
santhemum raised  in  Japan.  One  can  find,  moreover,  "gi- 
gantic flowers,  microscopic  flowers,  plants  of  single  [huge] 
blossom,  and  single  plants  of  200  [600  to  700]  blossoms."1 
In  November,  1902,  in  the  Imperial  Gardens,  Tokyo,  there 
was  one  plant  with  1272  blossoms,  each  2^2  inches  in  diam- 
eter !  And  one  of  the  great  curiosities  of  the  chrysanthe- 

1  Miss  Scidtnore's  Jinrikisha  Days  in  Japan. 


52  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

mum  season  is,  of  course,  the  view  of  living  pictures  at 
such  a  place,  for  instance,  as  Dango-zaka  in  Tokyo.    This 


CHRYSANTHEMUM. 


is  the  Japanese  esthetic  variation  of  the  Occidental  prosaic 
wax-works. 

The  chrvsanthemum  and  the  fox  are  commonly  asso- 


The  Chrysanthemum,  53 

dated  ideas  in  art  and  literature  on  account  of  an  old  tale 
to  the  following  effect,  as  related  by  Dr.  Griffis:  "A  fox, 
assuming  the  form  of  a  lovely  woman,  bewitched  a  certain 
prince.  One  day,  happening  to  fall  asleep  on  a  bed  of  chry- 
santhemums, she  resumed  her  normal  shape.  The  prince, 
seeing  the  animal,  shot  at  him,  hitting  the  fox  in  the  fore- 
head. He  afterward  saw  that  his  concubine  had  a  wound 
in  the  corresponding  part  of  the  head,  and  thus  discovered 
her  true  nature." 

The  chrysanthemum  is  also  associated  with  the  crane. 

On  the  occasion  of  the  Chrysanthemum  Festival,  it  was 
customary  to  wear  a  special  dress,  called  Kiku-gasane, 
purple  outside  and  white  inside ;  to  drink  kiku-zake,  or  sake 
with  chrysanthemum  dipped  in  it,  as  a  specific  against 
malaria ;  and  to  compose  poems,  for  which,  in  court  circles, 
the  Emperor  chose  the  subject.  This  festival  has  been 
practically  merged  into  the  Emperor's  birthday.2 

In  the  "One  Hundred  Poems"  there  is  only  one  refer- 
ence to  the  chrysanthemum,  as  follows : 

THE   FROST'S   MAGIC. 

"If  it  were  my  wish 

White  Chrysanthemum  to  cull ; 
Puzzled  by  the  frost 

Of  the  early  autumn  time, 
I  perchance  might  pluck  the  flower.3 

Another  old  poem,  of  which  we  have  not  found  the 
Japanese  original  has  been  translated  as  follows4 : 

"Looking  upward  to  the  palace  garden,  long  I  gaze  and  wonder 
what  they  are,  whether  white  and  snowy  petalled  chrysanthemum, 
or  the  twinkling  lustre  of  the  stars." 

The  chrysanthemum  has  a  great  many  very  fanciful 

2  "Let  the  Emperor  live  forever.     May  he  see  the  chrysanthemum  cup  go 
round  autumn  after  autumn  for  a  thousand  years !" 
1  Translation  by  Prof.  Clay  MacCauley. 
4  The  Far  East,  Vol.  II,  No.  11. 


54 


The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 


names  like  "star-like  flower,"  "flower  of  a  thousand  gen- 
erations," "younger  brother  of  the  flowers,"  "old  man's 
flower,"  "virgin  flower,"  etc.  The  chrysanthemum  is  also 
one  of  the  "Four  Gentlemen,"  so  called  on  account  of  their 
vigorous  qualities, — the  plum,  the  orchid,  the  bamboo,  and 
the  chrysanthemum. 

But  in  Japan  there  is  one  place  where  it  is  said  to  be  un- 
lucky to  raise  chrysanthemums,  that  is,  in  Himeji.  The 
reason  therefor  will  be  evident  from  the  following  story, 


CHRYSANTHEMUM   VENDER. 

related  by  Lafcadio  Hearn  in  his  Glimpses  of  Unfamiliar 
Japan : 

"Himeji  contains  the  ruins  of  a  great  castle  of  thirty 
turrets ;  and  a  daimyo  used  to  dwell  therein  whose  revenue 
was  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  thousand  koku  of  rice.  Now, 
in  the  house  of  one  of  that  daimyo's  chief  retainers  was  a 
maid  servant  of  good  family,  whose  name  was  O-Kiku; 
and  the  name  'Kiku'  signifies  a  chrysanthemum  flower. 
Many  precious  things  were  entrusted  to  her  charge,  and 


The  Chrysanthemum,  55 

among  other  things  ten  costly  dishes  of  gold.  One  of  these 
was  suddenly  missed  and  could  not  be  found ;  and  the  girl, 
being  responsible  therefor,  and  knowing  not  how  other- 
wise to  prove  her  innocence,  drowned  herself  in  a  well.  But 
ever  thereafter  her  ghost,  returning  nightly,  could  be  heard 
counting  the  dishes  slowly,  with  sobs:  'Ichi-mai,  Ni-mai, 
San-mai  Yo-mai,  Go-mai,  Roku-mai,  Shichi-mai,  Hachi- 
mai,  Ku-mai, .  . .  .' 

"Then  there  would  be  heard  a  despairing  cry  and  a  loud 
burst  of  weeping;  and  again  the  girl's  voice  counting  the 
dishes  plaintively :  'One — two — three — four — five — six — 
seven — eight — nine — 

"Her  spirit  passed  into  the  body  of  a  strange  little  in- 
sect, whose  head  faintly  resembled  that  of  a  ghost  with  long 
disheveled  hair;  and  it  is  called  O-Kiku-mushi,  or  'the  fly 
of  O-Kiku';  and  it  is  found,  they  say,  nowhere  save  in 
Himeji.  A  famous  play  was  written  about  O-Kiku,  which 
is  still  acted  in  all  the  popular  theaters,  entitled  Banshu- 
O-Kiku-no-Sara-Ya-shiki,  or  'the  Manor  of  the  Dish  of 
O-Kiku  of  Banshu.' 

"Some  declare  that  Banshu  is  only  a  corruption  of  the 
name  of  an  ancient  quarter  (Bancho)  of  Tokyo  (Yedo), 
where  the  story  should  have  been  laid.  But  the  people  of 
Himeji  say,  that  part  of  their  city  now  called  Go-Ken-Ya- 
shiki  is  identical  with  the  site  of  the  ancient  manor.  What 
is  certainly  true  is  that  to  cultivate  chrysanthemum  flowers 
in  the  part  of  Himeji  called  Go-Ken- Yashiki  is  deemed  un- 
lucky, because  the  name  of  O-Kiku  signifies  'chrysanthe- 
mum/ Therefore,  nobody,  I  am  told,  ever  cultivates  chry- 
santhemums there." 


XII.  THE  CAMELLIA. 

WE  have  selected  for  this  month  a  flower  of  which 
there  are  two  principal  varieties,  called  in  Japanese 
sazankwa  and  tsubaki.  The  Chinese  ideograms  used  for 
the  latter  are  the  same  as  the  first  two  ideograms  of  the 
former,  and  mean  "mountain-tea,"  so  that  sazankwa  means 
etymologically  "wild  tea  flower."  The  tea-plant  is  scien- 
tifically classed  as  camellia  theifera.  The  tsubaki  does  not 
generally  bloom  till  January,  but  the  sazankwa  blossoms 
come  in  December. 

Mr.  Conder  states  the  following  about  this  flower: 
"There  is  a  prejudice  against  the  camellia  on  account  of 
the  fragility  of  the  flower,  which  falls  to  pieces  at  the 
slightest  touch;  it  is  nevertheless  much  esteemed  as  being 
an  evergreen."  The  famous  Ogasawara  mentions  the  fol- 
lowing reasons  for  the  high  estimation  in  which  the  camel- 
lia should  be  held.  It  is  recorded  that,  in  the  time  of  the 
gods,  Susano  no  Mikoto  and  his  spouse  Inada  Hime  built 
a  palace,  and  as  a  token  of  unchanging  fidelity  for  eight 
thousand  years  planted  a  camellia  tree.  This  tree  is  said 
still  to  exist  in  the  province  of  Idzumo  and  is  called  Yachi-  . 
yo  no  tsubaki,  or  "the  camellia  tree  of  eight  thousand 
years."  Another  reason  assigned  for  the  high  estimation 
in  which  the  tree  is  held  is  that  the  mortar  in  which  the  rice 
for  the  wedding-cake  is  ground  is  made  of  its  wood.  From 
the  seeds  a  fine  hair  oil  is  made. 


The  Camellia. 


57 


CAMELLIA  BLOSSOMS. 


58  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

In  the  art  of  floral  decoration,  it  is  proper  to  combine 
the  camellia  with  the  narcissus ;  and  the  red  kind  ranks  first. 

The  camellia,  on  account  of  its  fragility,  should  not  be 
used  at  weddings,  but  is  appropriate  for  funerals. 

The  camellia  is  not  a  favorite  subject  in  art  and  litera- 
ture; therefore  we  present  no  poem. 


CONCLUSION. 

IT  ought  to  be  evident,  by  this  time,  that  the  Japanese 
take  a  most  thorough  delight  in  their  floral  kingdom. 
Fully  as  much  as  in  hero-worship  do  they  indulge  in 
"flower-worship."  They  truly  worship  nature  in  all  her 
varied  forms  and  hold  communion  with  all  her  aspects. 
The  Japanese  love  a  flower  as  a  -flower. 

"A  primrose  by  the  river's  brim, 
A  yellow  primrose  was  to  him, 
And  it  was  nothing  more." 

But,  to  a  Japanese,  simply  as  "nothing  more"  than  a 
real  flower,  it  would  be  full  of  beauty.  The  Japanese  cer- 
tainly find  delight  in  even  the  simplest  forms  of  natural 
beauty. 

The  subject  of  Japanese  floriculture  is  extensive  and 
exhausting.  Japan  is  composed  of  gardens,  "from  the  least 
to  the  greatest"  in  size;  it  is,  in  fact,  itself  an  immense 
garden,  a  huge  park,  and  a  miniature  paradise.  Gardens, 
not  only  public  but  also  private,  abound.  Even  the  poorest 
and  humblest  house  is  not  without  its  little  oasis  of  natural 
beauty,  if  it  be  no  more  than  a  single  plant  and  blossom,  or 
even  only  a  twig.  For  the  Japanese  word  hana,  as  we  have 
said,  is  quite  comprehensive  in  its  meaning,  and  includes 
not  only  blossoms,  but  also  stems  and  branches,  and  even 
stumps  of  blossomless  trees  and  shrubs.  A  Japanese  gar- 
den, therefore,  may  not  contain  a  single  blossom  or  scarcelv 


6o 


The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 


a  sprig  of  green.     Some  have  nothing  green  at  all,  and 
consist  entirely  of  rocks,  and  pebbles,  and  sand. 


CAMELLIA  JAPONICA. 


One  such  large  garden  had  been  designed  with  the 
distinct  purpose  of  conveying  the  impression  of  "approach- 
ing the  sea  over  a  verge  of  dunes."  The  Japanese  are  the 


Conclusion. 


61 


people  who  truly  and  keenly  find  "sermons  in  stones,  books 
in  the  running  brooks,  and  good  in  everything." 

The  principal  purpose,  in  fact,  for  a  garden  in  Japan 
is  realistic,  naturalistic;  it  aims  to  imitate,  and  does  not 


CAMELLIA   JAPONICA    (EIGHTFOLD). 

improve,  actual  landscapes.  "It  is,  therefore,  at  once  a 
picture  and  a  poem;  perhaps  even  more  a  poem  than  a 
picture."  Sometimes,  also,  sermons  may  be  attempted  and 


62  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

abstract  moral  ideas,  such  as  charity,  faith,  piety,  content, 
calm,  and  connubial  bliss,  may  be  expressed  in  the  beauties 
of  nature. 


NANTEN  (NANDINA  DOMESTICA). 

This  plant  is  frequently  used  in  winter  for  flower  arrangement, 
when  there  are  scarcely  any  hana  available. 

Japan  is  a  land  of  flowers,  "a  veritable  garden  of  flow- 
ers" ;  but  it  maintains  a  nobility  in  floral  as  well  as  social 
institutions.  There  are  about  a  dozen  hana  which  are 
reckoned  among  first-class;  and  even  among  these  feudal 


Conclusion.  63 

lords  there  are  gradations.  Each  has  also  its  special  mean- 
ing and  use.  The  twelve  majores  dii  of  the  Japanese  floral 
kingdom  are  the  cherry,  chrysanthemum,  cypress,  bamboo, 


lotus,  maple,  rhodea,  narcissus,  peony,  pine,  plum,  and  wis- 
taria.1 

1  Those  who  are  especially  interested  in  the  subject  of  floral  Japan  should 
consult  Piggott's  Garden  of  Japan  and  Conder's  Theory  of  Floiver  Arrange- 
ment and  Art  of  Landscape  Gardening  in  Japan,  to  which  we  have  made 
frequent  references. 


64  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

The  art  of  flower  arrangement  in  Japan  is  a  great  ac- 
complishment, and  the  theory  of  it  is  quite  complex.  The 
basal  idea  is  simple,  for  the  Japanese  do  not  believe  in  such 


a  massing  of  various  colors  and  of  different  flowers, 
branches,  grasses,  etc.,  as  is  needed  to  delight  our  artistic 
senses.  One  who  has  succeeded  in  developing  within  him 


Conclusion.  65 

the  Japanese  esthetic  ideas  cannot  help  feeling  that  what  is 
called  here  a  "bouquet"  is  generally  "a  vulgar  murdering  of 
flowers,  an  outrage  upon  the  color-sense,  a  brutality,  an 
abomination."  The  most  artistic  American  could  scarcely 
appreciate,  as  much  as  even  the  lowest  Japanese,  the  beauty 
of  a  solitary  spray  of  blossoms  or  even  of  a  solitary  branch 
or  twig  without  a  single  blossom. 

The  whole  theory  of  Japanese  flower  arrangement  de- 
pends upon  the  "language  of  line"  rather  than  upon  mass 
or  color.  Upon  this  simple  base  a  rigid  and  complex  sys- 
tem has  been  established,  which  has  been  carefully  and 
thoroughly  studied  and  analyzed  by  a  foreign  architect,  an 
Englishman,  in  the  employ  of  the  Japanese  Government. 
It  will  serve  to  give  some  idea  of  the  magnitude  and  com- 
plexity of  the  subject  to  state  that  Mr.  Conder's  explana- 
tion thereof  covers  a  hundred  pages  of  the  Transactions 
of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Japan.2  He  has  discussed  and 
illustrated  by  numerous  drawings  the  proper  and  improper 
combinations,  the  language  of  flowers,  and  other  interest- 
ing matters. 

This  art  of  arranging  flowers  was  considered  by  the 
Japanese  as  an  "elegant  accomplishment,"  and  was  an  im- 
portant item  in  the  education  of  women  of  rank.  But  it 
appertained  also  to  men  of  rank  and  of  culture  who  might 
have  retired  from  active  life  to  the  leisure  of  literary  and 
esthetic  pursuits.  It  has  been  stated  that  those  who  en- 
gaged in  this  "fine  art"  would  possess  the  following  ten 
virtues : 

"The  privilege  of  associating  with  superiors ;  ease  and 
dignity  before  men  of  rank ;  a  serene  disposition  and  forget- 
fulness  of  cares;  amusement  in  solitude;  familiarity  with 
the  nature  of  plants  and  trees;  the  respect  of  mankind; 
constant  gentleness  of  character;  healthiness  of  mind  and 
body;  a  religious  spirit;  self-abnegation  and  restraint." 

1  He  has  also  expanded  this  into  an  elegant  book  called  The  Floral  Art 
of  Japan. 


66  The  Japanese  Floral  Calendar. 

In  this  monthly  calendar  of  Floral  Japan,  we  have  not 
attempted  to  include  all  the  flowers  as  in  a  botanical  cata- 
logue; we  have  merely  made  a  selection  of  certain  typical 
hana,  to  represent  the  floral  year.  But  we  must  surely 
make  at  least  mention  of  the  fete-days  (en-nichi),  which 
are  really  flower-fairs,  held  once,  twice,  or  thrice  a  month, 
according  to  circumstances,  chiefly  in  the  evening.  The 
roadways  are  lined  with  flower-sellers  and  dealers  in  var- 
ious other  articles,  which  are  displayed  either  on  mats,  or 
on  carts,  or  in  booths  hastily  constructed.  On  these  occa- 
sions it  is  possible,  after  parleying  with  the  seller,3  to  buy 
flowers  for  a  very  reasonable  sum. 

And  now  we  may  be  able  to  appreciate  how  much  the 
floral  kingdom  of  Japan  means  to  the  Japanese.  Huish  has 
well  expressed  it  as  follows :  "Flowers  are  associated  with 
every  act  of  a  Japanese's  life:  they  herald  his  birth,  they 
are  his  daily  companions,  they  accompany  him  to  the  grave ; 
and  after  that  they  serve  as  a  link  between  him  and  those 
he  has  left, — for  his  relatives  and  friends  do  not  rest  satis- 
fied with  piling  up  his  coffin  with  floral  tributes,  they  show 
their  remembrance  by  offerings  for  long  years  after- 
wards."4 

8  The  first  price  is  exorbitant  and  proverbial :  "Charge  like  a  florist  at  a 
festival." 

4  In  the  very  interesting  chapter  on  "Flora  and  Flower  Festivals"  in  his 
book  entitled  Japan  and  Its  Art. 


